Page 88 of Poison Touch

“Please leave,” Uncle Trey cuts him off.

The guy glances around the room, stopping his gaze on me. “Do I know you?”

He may, but I deny him the answer he’s looking for. I may have seen him in one of the underground fights, but there’s no way he would recognize me. I used to have blonde hair and always wore a mask with a hoodie. “No, I don’t think so.”

Mr. MMA huffs, then storms off. His fists are as tight as iron. He pushes the door open hard enough that it slams against the concrete wall.

Without a word, my uncle returns to his office.

I follow him. “What was that all about?”

“He’s just a guy who thinks he can win a few bucks beating someone else at the game. It’s not about that. There’s no respect in what they do.”

I’m quiet for a moment as he picks up his pen and continues to do whatever he was before I interrupted him. “Eden and I are going to Val’s. Do you want anything?”

“Sure, I’ll take a piece of her pie. Doesn’t matter what kind.”

“You got it.”

He looks up. “Kinsley, you know why I said no to him, right?”

“Yeah, I get it.” I know we’re both thinking about my dad, the position he put himself in in that cage, and what it ultimately led to. I sweep a tear away before it builds enough momentum to fall.

He nods solemnly. “I’m sorry.” There’s so much sorrow and genuine regret in those two words.

“Me too.”

Eden is waiting for me by the door.

“Everything okay?” Luca asks.

“Yeah.” I pull on my baggy boho pants and slip my bare feet into my boots.

Eden holds the door open for me as I pass through. “So, are you going to tell me?”

I still haven’t answered her about where I went last night. I’m not ready to tell her about Edge. But I want her to trust me, so I need to give her something. And I like Eden. She’s a good person. I just have to be careful with my words.

“I went into the maze with Josh.”

She grabs my arm, jerking me to a stop. “Was that you who beat the shit out of him?” When I say nothing, that’s enough of an answer. Her eyes bug. “What happened?”

I close my eyes and shut out the pain of all the girls he hurt who couldn’t defend themselves. When I open them, Eden is staring at me with empathetic kindness. Her eyes are soft, but her face is filled with concern.

I give her a half-shrug. “He tried to take something that wasn’t being offered, something he thought he was entitled to. And unfortunately for him, he went up against someone who could take care of herself.”

Edge and I left before the maze was supposed to get busy. I wasn’t about to hang around to see what happened when Josh came to.

“Holy shit!” Her voice drops a little. “So what happened to that girl was true?”

I don’t have to confirm what she already knows.

Very unlike the Eden I’ve come to know, she wraps her arm around my shoulder as we continue walking. “You know, I knew I liked you from day one.”

We both burst out laughing at her blatant lie.

“I’m pretty sure you couldn’t stand me for at least a week.”

“Nah, not the whole week. I knew you were good people the moment you had my back in the cafeteria. I just misjudged and misunderstood you.”